ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the attitudes and acceptance of the second booster (fourth dose) of the COVID-19 vaccination among physicians. METHODS: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based, online study was conducted among members of the Athens Medical Association (A.M.A.) who were invited to participate anonymously over the period from January to March 2023. RESULTS: From the 1224 members who participated in the survey, 53.9% did not receive the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The main reasons for no vaccination were the lack of obligation to receive the fourth dose, the history of three doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and the lack of sufficient information about the effectiveness of the fourth dose. Over half of the three-dose-vaccinated participants were willing to receive the fourth dose in the near future. Interestingly, the vaccination coverage among participants who had been informed about the fourth dose through scientific sources was low. CONCLUSIONS: The low vaccination coverage with the fourth dose reported in this study can lead to broad and serious consequences, such as increase in COVID-19 infections, reduction of available healthcare staff and increased caseloads of COVID-19 in hospitals. Furthermore, hesitant physicians will adversely influence the vaccination uptake among the general population due to their key role in informing and recommending the vaccine. The healthcare system administration should acknowledge and address physician's concerns through effective communication and better support.
ABSTRACT
Healthcare workers are at high risk of influenza virus infection as well as of transmitting the infection to vulnerable patients who may be at high risk of severe illness. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the prevalence and related factors of influenza vaccination coverage (2020-2021flu season), among members of the Athens Medical Association in Greece. This survey employed secondary analysis data from a questionnaire-based dataset on COVID-19 vaccination coverage and associated factors from surveyed doctors, registered within the largest medical association in Greece. All members were invited to participate in the anonymous online questionnaire-based survey over the period of 25 February to 13 March 2021. Finally, 1993 physicians (60% males; 40% females) participated in the study. Influenza vaccination coverage was estimated at 76%. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that older age (OR = 1.02; 95% C.I. = 1.01-1.03), history of COVID-19 vaccination (OR = 2.71; 95% C.I. = 2.07-3.56) and perception that vaccines in general are safe (OR = 16.49; 95% C.I. = 4.51-60.25) were found to be independently associated factors with the likelihood of influenza vaccination coverage. Public health authorities should maximize efforts and undertake additional actions in order to increase the percentage of physicians/health care workers (HCWs) being immunized against influenza. The current COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to focus on tailored initiatives and interventions aiming to improve the influenza vaccination coverage of HCWs in a spirit of synergy and cooperation.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia with a considerable impact on patients' quality of life (QoL). METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, observational study aimed to evaluate the effect of oral treatment with controlled-release (CR) flecainide on AF patients' QoL and treatment compliance during a 12-week period. A total of 70 sites enrolled consecutive patients with paroxysmal (PAF) or persistent AF (PerAF), treated with flecainide CR in the context of a rhythm control strategy. The effect on QoL was assessed by the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Severity of Atrial Fibrillation scale (CCS-SAF). RESULTS: In total, 679 patients (53.2% females, 66 ± 11.7 years, 86.9% PAF) were included. Prior antiarrhythmic medication had been administered in 43.8% of patients. A daily dose of 200 mg was administered to 66.4% of patients by the end of study. Flecainide CR resulted in a significant reduction in the CCS-SAF score (mean (SD)) at the end of the study as compared with baseline (1.32 (0.57) vs 1.64 (0.73), p < 0.0001). Flecainide CR significantly reduced the CCS-SAF score both in PAF (1.27 (0.52) vs 1.61 (0.72), p < 0.0001) as well as in PerAF (1.63(0.77) vs 1.84(0.81), p = 0.017). Overall, 4 (0.6%) patients experienced a total of 6 adverse events during the study period. The compliance to flecainide CR treatment was very high with 93.6% of patients responding that they had not missed any dose during the study period. CONCLUSION: Treatment with flecainide CR significantly improves QoL in both paroxysmal as well as persistent AF patients, with an excellent safety profile and associated patient compliance.
